Overview
- An initial cohort of more than 500 trainees completed courses in Cairo in March, and two-month sessions resumed in September to prepare hundreds more, with all recruits from Gaza and salaries to be paid by the Palestinian Authority.
- The effort fits into a late‑2024 framework agreed under Egyptian mediation for a 10,000‑officer service, with 5,000 to be trained by Egypt and 5,000 drawn from Gaza’s existing police under technocratic oversight backed by Palestinian factions including Hamas.
- Trainees report advanced operational instruction with modern border‑surveillance equipment and curriculum emphasizing the PLO’s representative status and the goal of a sovereign Palestinian state.
- The European Union has proposed training up to 3,000 Gaza police officers under a scheme akin to its West Bank mission, signaling broader international participation.
- Disputes persist over disarmament, chain of command and Israel’s rejection of PA or Hamas roles, and Israeli media reported the Shin Bet chief met Egyptian intelligence in Cairo to discuss next‑phase Gaza arrangements.